Montgomery County Councilmember Cherri Branson publicly called on the school system to hire an independent auditor in a letter to the editor published by The Washington Post Wednesday night.
Branson, who represents Silver Spring and Takoma Park in District 5, wrote in the letter that the recent controversy surrounding the Board of Education’s district-issued credit cards touched “on something far more significant than a few unauthorized hotel expenses.”
She wrote that she was surprised to learn the public school system, which accounts for more than half of the county’s budget, has no independent auditor.
“You would think that our schools would put extra emphasis on transparency and accountability. In fact, the opposite is true,” Branson wrote.
She added, “Regular, professional oversight is needed. It is time for Montgomery County Public Schools to have its own inspector general.”
This week the county recently unveiled a new transparency website that allows users to examine different portions of the county’s budget. However, the school system’s operating budget is not part of the website. The county’s chief innovation officer, Dan Hoffman, said via Twitter, that the county is working with the school system to have their financial data published in the county’s system so it can be included in the new website. The school system does have a transparency and accountability website where users can see the amount paid to specific vendors and contractors.
Branson was appointed to the County Council in January to fill the seat vacated by Valerie Ervin, who resigned to take a job at the Center for Working Families. She is not running for re-election. Branson previously investigated waste, fraud and abuse in federal programs as Chief Counsel for Oversight for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Committee, according to her council bio.
